Pile fabric weave



Sept. 12, 1933. G. J. UNDERWOOD ET AL 1,926,250

- FILE FABRIC WEAVE I Filed Feb. 10, 1932 INVENTOR Garfield] Z/noiwmad ($7550 Gan 19rd BY C/imq IMO) M M. I

ATTORNEY5 Patented Sept. 12, 1933 PILE FABRIC WEAVE- Garfield J. Underwood and John Crawford, 7 Amsterdam, N. Y., assign'ors to Mohawk Carpet Mills, Inc., Amsterdam, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application liebruary 10, 1932 Serial No. 591,994

1 Claim. (01. 139-401) This invention relates to pile fabrics. and is concerned more particularly .with a novel pile fabric and a method of weaving it, the new fabric being superior to prior fabrics of the same general class in that it maybe woven more tightly and with a smoother back, its pile tufts are bound more securely in place and'present a more even appearance, and a better face yarn coverage is obtained. Also, the new fabric is cheaper to produce, since less material is required and less strain is imposed on the loom during the weaving operation, so that the pro ductivity of the loom is increased.

The principles of the invention may be utilized to especial advantage in the weaving of pile fabrics of the Wilton type and accordingly a novel Wilton fabric woven in accordance with the invention will be describe in detail for purposes of explanation. It is to be understood, however, that the utility of the invention is not limited to that particular type of fabric and many advantages are aflorded by weaving pile fabrics of other types in. the manner presently to be described.

Pile fabrics of the Wilton type as now commonly wove include stuffer warps, pile warps, Weft yarns crossing above, between, and below the stuifer and pile warps, and two sets of binder warps which are interlaced in the fabric to pass above and below the weft yards and hold the fabric together. The formation of the pile tufts is effected in such fabrics by producing loops of the pile warps raised above the binder warps,

and then cut, and in some Wilton fabrics, thev pile warp used for forming the tufts passes under a weft shot at the back of the fabric immediately before or after the tufts are formed, so that the pattern is visible on the back of the fabric.

Ordinarily the weft yarns are inserted in the fabric in cycles corresponding in number to the rows of pile tufts and with a number of shots per cycle, for example, three with one shot lying above the pile warps, the second between the pile and stuffer warps, and the third below the the stuffer warps. In such a fabric, the two sets of binder warps are woven into the fabric in such fashion that one set passes over the upper weft shot of one cycle and below the bottom weft shot of the next, while the other set passes below the bottom weft shot of the first cycle and over the upper weft shot of the second cycle, this alternation continuing throughout of the fabric. In such a fabric, any difference in the tension on the two sets of binder warps causes the top weft shots to be bound into the fabric with varying degrees of tightness, and since these weft shots bind the pile warps into the fabric, any variation in their binding action results in a variation in the length of the pile loops in successive rows, which in turn produces tufts of non-uniformlength and a fabric which is defective.

In the formation of the pile tufts, the pile warps are looped over a wire resting upon a set of binder warps which has been raised by its heddle and, if the tension on the two binder warps is difierent or if driving parts of the loom are worn so that the heddle mechanisms do not raise their sets of warpto the same height, the wires used for the formation of successive rows of loops will be bound by the yarn at different heights and under different. tensions and when the wires are withdrawn to cut the loops and form tufts, the successive rows of tufts will be at different heights which will cause marks on the face of the fabric.

Still another difiiculty encountered in the weaving of these fabrics with two fine chains or binder warps is that the sets of fine chains cross each other within the fabric at such an angle as to leave substantial spaces defined between the upper set and the lower set. These spaces must be filled with stuffer warps and pile yarns, and the smaller the spaces, the more compact will be the fabric; However, if it is attempted to reduce the size of these spaces by pulling the fine chains in a"direction lengthwise of the fabric to bring the top and bottom weft shots closer together, the spaces become elongated lengthwise of the fabric so that the weave is U spread out and the binding action of the fine chains is at least not improved and may be diminished.

We havefound that the difficulties and dis-. advantages involved in the use of two fine chain 1 or binder warps in prior fabricsmay be avoided andrbetter results may be obtained if only a single set of fine chain or binder warps is employed, provided these warps are manipulated in a novel manner, so that the warps pass over 109 the top weft shot and under the bottom Weft shot of each cycle and thus lie substantially vertically in the fabric. With such a weave, all of the, weft yarns which serve to retain the pile tufts in'place are bound by the same warps so that there can be no'difference in the length of the tufts by reason of variation in the tension of the warps or the variation in their position in the fabric-due to wear in the heddle mechanism, as is the case when two sets of warps are creased binding action, but also the fabric may,

be woven with a shorter-depth of pile-and a better coverage of the face yarn is obtained.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which there is illustrated in enlarged section and somewhat conventionally a Wilton fabric woven in accordance with the principles of the invention.

The Wilton fabric illustrated is of the type which is woven with three shots of weft per rowof tufts and it includes three sets 'of stuffer warps and five framesfof face yarn. This fabric has been selected as typical of others of the same kind, and it is to be understood that the invention may be employed in connection with fabrics which contain other numbers of sets of stuffer warps and frames of face yarn and are woven with other numbers of shots per cycle. Also, the fabric illustrated is one in which the pile loopson the face of the fabric are cut and in which the pattern is .visible on the backbutit is immaterial whether or not the loops are cut and-the pattern is visible on the back. e v e i.

In the drawingthe three stufier .warps are designated 10 and the pile warps 11; In the fabric illustrated there are-dive sets of pile warps which may be of different colors so that by raising the warpsflof the different sets out of the fabric to produce pile .loops at selected intervals, a pattern may be produced. The fabric includes three weft shots 12 per 'row of pile tufts with the bottom weft shot lying below the stuffer warps; the middle'shot above the stuffer warps and below the pile warps, and the top weft shot above the pile warps; -A-single-set of fine'chain or binder warps 13 is also incorporated in the fabric and these binder warpswhich bind the pile warpsin place are in turn bound into the fabric by the fine chains 13, and these chains pass almost directly across the fabric from one face to the other instead of crossing the fabric at a relatively flatter angle, as would be the case if two sets of binder warps were employed. Also, thesame setpf binder warps holds the top and bottom weft shots against the body of the fabric and when the 'tension on the binder warps is increased, these weft shots are bound more securely in place,

compressing the fabric, and making a tight compact weave. Such an increase in tension does not tend to elongate the new fabric, while a .fabric in which two binderwarps are employed is thus spread out by an increased in binder ,warp tension.

the new fabric, a good face yarn coverage is obtained and the fabric has a tight back.

Also; since there is a single set of binder warps and the pile loop wires rest on top of this set forthe formation of each 'row of tufts, the fabric does not have uneven tufts.

The loom for weaving the new fabric is considerably simplified as only a single heddle .mechanism 'is required, and the loom is under A'three-plane pile fabricof the Wilton type comprising pile warps and. stuffer warps extending longitudinally through the fabric, weft shots extending across the fabric in cycles with one shot per cycle lying on top of the idle portions of the pile warps, another-shot per cycle lying beneath the stulferwarps, and at least one shot per cycle lying between the idle portions of the pile warps and the stuifer warps, the shots below the stuffer warps equalling in number the shots lying on tcp of the idle portions of the pile warps, and a single set of binder warps, each binder warp passing over the top of all the weft shots lying on top of the idle portions of the pile warps and beneath all the weft shots lying below the stuffer warps, portions of the pile warps being raised out of the fabric at points selected in accordance with a pattern to produce a pile and said pile warpsso raised passing directly throughthe fabric from each of the points of raising and beneath a weft shot below the vstuffer warps and thence back into the f'abric,to produce a pattern on the back corresponding in appearance and position to the pattern on the face.

GARFIELD J. UNDERWOOD.

JOHN' CRAWFORD. 

